In this Swift Chat episode, Marie Swift speaks with Kevin Knull, CFP®, President of TaxStatus, a cutting-edge IRS account monitoring and tax data platform designed for financial professionals and the clients they serve, about how this innovative fintech solution is helping financial advisors enhance client services through seamless integration with IRS data. Knull shares how TaxStatus enables continuous monitoring of client activities, providing real-time notifications on new filings and offering advanced analysis capabilities that help advisors prevent tax fraud and improve the financial advice they provide.

The conversation delves into how TaxStatus streamlines the client onboarding process by simplifying data collection and offering easy access to historical tax data. This not only enhances financial planning but also empowers advisors to make more strategic, data-driven decisions on behalf of their clients. Knull also shares how financial advisors can use TaxStatus as a tool for prospecting new clients by offering a unique value proposition rooted in tax efficiency and compliance monitoring.

Looking ahead, Swift and Knull explore future developments, such as integrating AI capabilities to automate further and enhance the system’s functionality. Knull also outlines a trial process available to financial advisors, allowing them to experience firsthand the efficiencies and benefits of the platform.

Learn more about Kevin Knull and TaxStatus at https://www.taxstatus.com

In this Swift Chat conversation, Marie Swift speaks with John O'Connell, founder of The Oasis Group, a leading consultancy for the wealth management industry. Their leadership position includes identifying, reviewing, and discussing new technologies and capabilities for the wealth management industry. The Oasis Group offers award-winning consulting services, industry-leading research, and compelling on-demand training for wealth management firms and the service providers who serve the wealth management industry.

Wealth management firms can unlock new levels of efficiency, personalization, and client engagement by adopting AI. John strongly recommends that firms begin to leverage AI to gain familiarity with its capabilities and concerns, to learn new skills like prompt engineering, and to clearly identify how they plan to leverage AI in projects. Leveraging AI now enables firms to discuss their compliance posture and to develop their AI policies.

Check out this AI WealthTech Map, which can serve as a handy reference tool:

The Oasis Group also recently launched a new research series called Vantage Point Peaks, which provides in-depth reports and competitive analysis on a range of service providers in the wealth management industry. The reports are designed to help wealth management firms become more informed buyers when breaking away or looking for new wealthtech solutions. The first study of the research series, available now, is the Vantage Point Peaks for Custodian Platforms, which focuses on the registered investment adviser and broker-dealer custodian market and is available to RIA and BD executives, as well as family offices and private wealth firms, interested in new custodian relationships.

If you are going independent, looking to add another custodian, or just interested in the RIA ecosystem and how the various custodians compare and contrast, check out The Oasis Group research on custodians.

As cybersecurity risks grow more complex and the SEC introduces additional cybersecurity regulations for financial services firms, it’s critical to ensure that financial advisorys teams are well equipped to identify and mitigate vulnerabilities while maintaining compliance. O'Connell, who is an industry veteran and cybersecurity expert, talks about the issues and refers people to his comprehensive course aimed at helping them gain an understanding of the evolving cybersecurity landscape in financial services, as well actionable strategies for protecting their financial advisory firm and their clients.

Click here to learn more about the cybersecurity training course.

Learn more about John O'Connell and his award-winning team at https://www.TheOasisGrp.com

In this Swift Chat conversation, Jonny Swift speaks with Alex Khassa, founder of Clients Blackbox, a marketing partner to some of the fastest-growing financial advisory and retirement planning firms in the USA, about transforming financial advisor marketing through precision-engineered video ads. Khassa explains his approach to helping advisors capture more clients by creating highly targeted, short video ads on Facebook and Instagram that replace the traditional, slower webinar funnels. By focusing on the "speed to lead" principle, his strategy significantly reduces lead loss, offering clients immediate access to educational content and fast-tracked appointments. This method enables rapid scaling, delivering a superior return on investment.

He shares success stories of advisors who have grown their businesses through his system, including one client who closed a $13 million virtual deal. Khassa also highlights a new partner program for smaller advisors that allows them to leverage the systems of larger, successful advisors without creating their own video content or virtual sales process.

Learn more about Alex Khassa and Clients Blackbox at www.ClientsBlackbox.com